Method of preparing dry pectin



March 3, 1936. w. W. CQWGlLL 2,032,687

METHOD 0F PREPABING DRY PECTIN Filed July-l1, 1934 l im; S

I'l n Il f ORNEY@ Patented Mar. 3, 1936l UNITED STAT-Es- METHOD F PREPARING DRY PECTIN William W. Cowgill, Fairfield, Conn., assignor to Sardik Incorporated, Jersey City, N. J., a corporation of Delaware Application July 11, 1934, Serial No. 734,614.

.3 Claims.

This invention relates to the manufacture of pectin and more. particularly to amethod of preparing dry pectin in a readily dispersible form, and an object of thisl invention is to provide an improved and practical method of continuously and economically preparing dry, deteriorationresistant, readily dispersible pectin from the usual pectin liquid.

y This and other objects whichwill be apparent to those skilled in this particular art are accomplished by the invention hereinafter described, and

illustrated in the accompanying drawing which shows diagrammatically one form of apparatus capable of being usedto carry out the present invention.

By the expression pectin liquid or liquid pectin as used herein, I refer to any suitable liquid dispersion of pectin, such as is well known in the art.

The present invention contemplates the continuous production of pectinin dry form Yfrom liquid pectin by providing a pectin-precipitating bath into which liquid pectin isvcontinuously introduced in the form of a moving stream and from which the precipitated solid pectin is continuously removed. 'I'he solid pectin after removal from the precipitating bath may be treated in anyV desired manner to acquire any desired characteristics such, for example, as a predetermined pH value,

or to purify it o r the like. Y

In carrying out'the present invention, I provide a bath I of a pectin-precipitating agent such, for example, as alcohol in which part of a rotating drum 2 is submerged. A feed mechanism is associated with vthe upper portion of the outer face of the drum, in position to deliver liquid pectin thereto so as to form a continuous layer or lm of liquid pectin on the face of the drum.

As illustrated, the mechanism includes a supply 4,0 pipe 3 delivering liquid pectin to a trough I, one side of which is formed by the drum surface, so

as to form a lm of liquid pectin the thickness oi which is to some `extent determined ,by a bar 5 located above the drum and serving to scrape off pectin in excess of that desired. The drum is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow so as to continuously deliver the liquid pectin fllm in a stream-like manner to the pectin-precipitating bath I, the action of which precipitates the pectin so asto form on the drum surface a continuous lm of precipitated pectin which can be vcontinuously removed from the in the form of a continuous sheet or lm 6 by a scraper or knife blade 1, which may be located above or below the surface of the bath, as desired. The

extent to which the drum is submerged in the precipitating agent may be varied to a considerable degree. If, as illustrated, `the greater portion of the drum is submerged, and the liquid fed on to the top thereof, any dtliculty in keeping the liquid 5 lm intact on asteeply inclined surface is lessened because sufficient precipitation of the pectin is produced to forestall any loss of liquid by owing oi the more or less vertical portion of the drum surface, as might occur if only the lower 10 portion of the drum was submerged. Squeeze rolls 8 are preferably employed to press the excess alcohol out of the film just after its removal by the blade 1. The drying of the pectin lm 6 may, if desired, be completed by passing it 15 through a drying oven or over warming surfaces for evaporating any excess alcohol immediately upon removal from the drum 2, after which the iilm can be collected and stored. Or the nlm may be subjected to further treatment so as to impart Q0 to thepectin certain desirable characteristics such, for example, as a predetermined pH value, and also to purify the pectin by washing out of the film any extraneous or foreign substances.

For example, the lm 6 can be carried downl5 wardly around a roller 9- submerged in a bath Ill of alcohol containing a material for giving to the pectin a certain predetermined pH value such, for example, as hydrochloric acid, although it will Ybe apparent to those skilled in the art that other materials in place of hydrochloric acid can be employed to raise or lower the pH value as may be desired. From the bath I0 the lm is passed through a pair of squeeze rolls II which squeeze out surplus liquid and return it to the bath Il).

If the nal product is intended for domestic jelly making, 'it is desirable that it contain a certain 'amount of free acid. When this is the case a second bath I2 containing approximately 40 25% lactic or tartaric acid or the like is provided. In passing through such a bath the pectin lm acquires the desired'free acid content.

'Ihe drying-of the vfilm is completed by passing it over warmed hollow rollers I3 after which it is collected in any desired manner such, for example, as folding the continuous film to form a laminated mass I4, or the film maybe broken up and packaged in any desired way. Obviously, either or both baths I0 and I2 may be omitted. l0 The process is preferably carried out with the hollow 'drlmi 2 at normal room temperature. I have found, however, that heating the drum slightly to not more than F. will cause the lm of precipitated pectin to adhere better to 55 the surface.; If the scraper '1 is located above the level of the bath and if the drum is f heated, some of the alcohol will be evaporated from the precipitated pectin illm prior to its removal by thescraper 1.

It is, of course, understood that the alcohol of the precipitating bath I must be replenished from time to time with fresh alcohol, to overcome the diluting of the original alcohol bath by water carried into it by the liquid pectin, and also to compensate for that lost by evaporation when the drum is heated.

pectin in the form of a substantially continuous illm which comprises continuously introducing a thin film of liquid pectin into a bath containing a pectin precipitating agent to thereby precipitate the pectin of said film in the form of a thin sheet, continuously withdrawing said sheet of precipitated pectin from said bath, continuously passing said sheet through an acid-containing bath to provide said pectin with a free acid content, and passing said sheet through a drying zone to dry the same.

3. The method of preparing a dry precipitated pectin in the form of a substantially continuous film which comprises continuously introducing av thin film of liquid pectin on a supporting surface into a bath containing a pectin precipitating agent to thereby precipitate the pectin of said film on said surface in the form of a thin sheet, heating said surface tov warm the precipitated pectin, continuously removing said sheet of precipitated pectin from said surface and withdrawing itfroml said bath, and passing said sheet through a drying zone to-dry the same.

WILLIAM W. COWGILL. 

